Weekend Recap: Chip Ganassi Racing Wins Big at Laguna & More
Catch up on last weekend's sports car racing action from Laguna Seca, Brands Hatch...
CGR Cadillac Breaks Through for Laguna Seca Win
Cadillac has become the first manufacturer to claim a repeat win in the new IMSA GTP era following victory for Chip Ganassi Racing in Sunday’s Motul Course de Monterey.
Renger van der Zande got around the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R of Alexander Sims on the race’s fourth restart with 41 minutes to go and held on to score the win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
It marked the fourth different team to win in the first four WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races this season.
Van der Zande shared driving duties with Sebastien Bourdais, who overcame an accident in Friday’s practice session that initially set the team back in the early part of the weekend.
The No. 6 Penske Porsche 963 of Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet came home second, thanks to a late charge by Tandy, who got by both the No. 25 Team RLL BMW M8 Hybrid V8 of Nick Yelloly and Sims’ AXR Cadillac in the closing 30 minutes.
Tandy finished 3.882 seconds behind van der Zande’s winning Cadillac, with Sims and co-driver Pipo Derani completing podium in third.
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Feller, Drudi Take Race 2 Victory at Brands Hatch
Ricardo Feller and Mattia Drudi won the second Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch for the Tresor Orange 1 Audi squad as Valentino Rossi claimed his first overall podium in the series.
Audi Sport factory drivers Feller and Drudi rose from seventh on the grid to take victory in Sunday’s second 60-minute contest, with their No. 40 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II finishing ahead of two BMW M4 GT3s from Team WRT including the one driven by Rossi.
The former MotoGP star claimed second after his co-driver Maxime Martin ran third during the opening stint and WRT’s No. 46 entry gained a position during the pit stops.
Rossi then held off his teammate and reigning Sprint Cup champion Charles Weerts, triggering jubilation in the WRT garage when he crossed the line after arguably his strongest GT3 drive to date.
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Murillo Wins Laguna Pilot Challenge as BHA Hyundais Finish 1-2 in TCR
Christian Szymczak held off Stevan McAleer to claim victory in Saturday’s WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120, taking Murillo Racing back to victory lane for the first time since last summer.
Szymczak and co-driver Kenny Murillo scored top overall honors in the No. 72 Mercedes-AMG GT4, in a two-hour race that featured only a single full course caution.
Having started third on the grid, Murillo took over the lead on Lap 22, in a move around both the pole-sitting No. 19 Van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Austin McCusker and second-placed Eric Filgueiras in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
With some GS competitors opting for a two-stop strategy, Szymczak brought the Mercedes back to the lead when the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Porsche of Jeff Westphal pitted under the race’s only yellow with less than 40 minutes to go.
Szymczak took the restart with 28 minutes to go and crossed the line 1.876 seconds ahead of McAleer’s RS1 Porsche, marking both drivers’ first career Pilot Challenge victories.
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Formal, Marcelli Sweep Super Trofeo Weekend at Laguna
Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli won Race 2 to sweep the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Marcelli led the field to green for the second 50-minute contest of the event, with Formal taking the checkered flag in the championship-winning duo’s No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2.
Ryan Norman made it a second consecutive 1-2 finish for the WTR Andretti squad, finishing 5.352 seconds off the lead.
TR3 Racing’s Giano Taurino and Lucas Petersson completed the Pro class podium, while the No. 30 ANSA Motorsports machine and the No. 8 WTR Andretti car completed the top-five.
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Tire Warmers Re-Introduced for Le Mans
Cadillac Completes Portimao Endurance Test
Porsche Launches “Racing for Charity” Project
Aston Hoping to Secure LMGT3 Berth
Behind the Scenes at HPD